Annaghbane House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

Two storey /three bay symmetrical early 19thC farmhouse with outbuildings on the E of Cargabane Road. House was extensively refurbished c1985.

Pitched natural slate roof with three rendered chimneys – one to each gable and one set between the central and right bays. Modern timber bargeboards and eaves carry plastic rainwater goods.

Walls are cement dashed and painted with smooth rendered and painted basecourse. Concrete threshold around house. Principal elevation faces NE. Its central bay is narrower than the other two and advances slightly. Front door is to ground floor centre and is contained within a semi-elliptical headed opening.

Modern six-panelled stained timber door has three paned sidelights and plainly glazed semi-elliptical fanlight. Left and right bays at ground floor each have a tripartite window consisting of a modern 6/6 timber casement window with flanking 2/2 lights and painted stone cill. At first floor each bay has a 3x3 paned modern casement with painted stone cill.

Left gable has a 6/6 timber casement window set to the left of centre at ground floor.

Rear elevation is completely abutted to ground floor by a modern single-storey flat roof extension. First floor has three modern 3x3 paned casement windows. Extension has a modern glazed door and three modern casement windows.

The right gable of the house has two 6/6 casements to ground floor and a similar window set to the left at first floor.

Setting.

To front of house is large garden leading to the Tierny Road, enclosed by a curved rendered and saddle coped screen wall. A pair of square-in-section rendered gate posts to each end and to centre. The latter support a pair spear-headed wrought-iron gates. To rear is a farmyard, enclosed by a two-storey L-shaped outbuilding with hipped artificial roof. Walls are random rubble with brick dressings, granite quoins and cills. All openings are t+g sheeted. External stairs with dog-kennel beneath. Modern farm buildings beyond.

Historical information

A building is shown at this location on the 1834 OS 6" map. However, the first Valuation map of around the same date is missing, so it is not possible to ascertain from the first Valuation book whether its dimensions match those of the present house. Its architectural style does, however, suggest a later 18th or early 19thC date.

It is shown on the 1859 OS map as Annaghbane House and was occupied by Rev Dr J Bryson at the time of the 1862 Valuation. It is described at this date as measuring 45ft x 24 ft x two storeys high (broadly corresponding with the present house. There are no subsequent changes in its valuation of £15.

The HMBB first survey card states, ‘A two storey, three bay, harled and whitened house with slated roof and three modern brick chimneys. Unrecessed Georgian glazing is nine paned on the upper floor, triple on lower floor with twelve paned centre lights. The central entrance is recessed in a segmental arched opening with decorated fanlight and sidelights. The door is modern, opens to accommodation at rear. Centre bay of façade has slight projection. Include stone outbuildings.’

The HMBB first survey slides shows the house to be symmetrical. It has a pitched natural slate roof with rendered skews and no bargeboards, slightly advanced masonry eaves carry half-round rainwater goods. Walls are unevenly rendered and the central bay advanced forward slightly. At ground floor centre a single step rises to the modern front door, flanked by hoop decorated sidelights framed by timer pilasters. Semi-elliptical fanlight is Peacock tailed. The ground floor left and right bays have tripartite windows with 6/6 sashes flanked by 2/2 sashes. The sash boxes of the central windows appear to be fluted. Each upper floor bay has a 6/3 sash window. The left gable has a 6/6 sash window at ground floor centre. The rear elevation is abutted by a single storey lean-to. Remaining first floor wall has a pair of four paned side-hung casement windows to each bay. The lean-to has a monopitched natural slate roof. It has a 6/3 sash window at ground floor left and to its right is a t+g sheeted door. The rest of the elevation has three irregularly spaced 6/6 sash windows.

Primary sources:
1. OS 6" map, 1834, Co Down sheet 41 (PRONI OS 6/3/41/1).
2. OS 6" map, 1859, Co Down sheet 41 (PRONI OS 6/3/41/2).
3. Second valuation book, 1862 (PRONI VAL 2B/3/58B, p.93).
4. Valuation revision books, 1866-1929 (PRONI VAL 12B/22/9A-E).
5. HMBB first survey card dated December 1972.
6. HMBB first survey slides dated January 1973.

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

Not listed

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Not listed

Evaluation

This early 19thC farmhouse has been very much altered and has lost most of its detailing and architectural interest.